"For Americans in search of their religious identity, Wentz's work invites them to explore anew America's vast religious landscape."

--Walter H. Capps, University of California

Publisher Web Site, March, 2004

In this fully revised and enhanced edition of his Religion in the New World (Fortress Press, 1990), Wentz extends and deepens his successful account of the shaping of America's diverse religious traditions. Using religious studies categories, such as myth, legend, symbol, and ritual, Wentz sketches the development and flowering of all the traditions--Native American, Reformed, Puritan, Roman Catholic, Restorationist--that proved decisive for American religion. The book extensively treats indigenous American figures and movements, including women, Native Americans, and Mormons, as well as Asian, African, and Islamic traditions. It also includes more material on Transcendentalism and Unitarian Universalism, public religion, and contemporary American Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims.

The book is further enhanced by an eight-page gallery of photos and graphics and includes a CD-ROM with the full text of the book, chapter summaries, discussion questions, and Web resources. The Libronix software used on the CD-ROM includes such features as topic searching, bookmarking, notetaking, and highlighting.